1. Field
The present disclosure is directed to an apparatus including two housings and a piezoelectric transducer. More particularly, the present disclosure is directed to an electronic device that uses a piezoelectric transducer to vibrate a first housing against a second housing.
2. Introduction
Presently, electronic communication devices are decreasing in size due to desired portability. There is a high demand for thinner portable phones, thinner portable video games, thinner laptops and other devices so users can easily carry the devices in their pockets or briefcases. Because users desire thinner devices, the internal components of the devices must be eliminated or reduced in size to decrease the overall size of the device.
Another desirable feature in electronic communication devices is a vibration feature. This vibration feature causes a device to vibrate to inform a user of an incoming communication, such as an incoming call or a text message. For example, if a user places their phone on silent and vibrate mode, the device can inform the user of an incoming call without disturbing other people around the user, such as when the user is attending a play, movie, or meeting. The vibrate mode can also inform a user of an incoming call when the user is in a noisy environment, such as at a concert, in a club, or on a subway, where the user cannot hear an audible alert from their device.
Unfortunately, vibrators can take up a relatively large amount of space in an electronic communication device. For example, the vibrator must move a relatively large amount of mass in order to have the vibration perceived by a user. The mechanism for moving the mass along with the mass itself can take up a large amount of space. This can make it difficult to reduce the size of an electronic communication device, while still providing for adequate vibration to properly inform a user of an incoming communication.